TORONTO — Dream Office REIT and Humbold Properties have appointed New York-based SHoP Architects and Canadian firm Adamson Architects to design a mixed-use tower at the northwest corner of King and Simcoe streets in downtown Toronto.
212 King Street West, a 79 storey tower, is located at the intersection of the Financial District and the Entertainment District, opposite Roy Thomson Hall. The development will convert three heritage buildings, 212, 214 and 220 King St. W., into a mixed-use tower with 588 rental units, over 10,000 square feet of retail and 660,000 square feet of office space.
Humbold bought the building at 214 King St. W. from Canadian General Electric in 1976 and has witnessed the drastic transformation of the area to the Entertainment District it is today, states a release, adding the changes include the removal of the former industrial rail yard to construct Roy Thomson Hall and Metro Hall.
Drawing inspiration from the rich history, materiality and character of the existing buildings, the development and design aims to prove that a sensitive, civic-minded approach to skyscraper design is possible, adds the release.
“We know we have to move forward and innovate, but we need to do so in a way that demonstrates sensitivity and sensibility, and contributes to the life of a city,” said SHoP Architects founding principal Gregg Pasquarelli in a statement. “The soul of the building lies in the intensity of details. It’s the materiality, the connection to Roy Thomson Hall and David Pecaut Square, and the way light fills the atrium and creates a relationship between the indoors and outdoors. These are the things that resonate and create an emotional response.”
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